Chapter 581
The woman froze, clearly not expecting that they knew everything. She dropped to her knees with a loud thud, sobbing uncontrollably, her nose running and tears streaming down her face.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so foolish and tried to harm Comrade Hua. It’s just that, as a woman with three children to support, I had no choice and was led astray. Please, for the sake of my unborn child, forgive me just this once.”
“You have a child? You’re so worried about them being left without anyone to care for them—then why didn’t you think about that earlier?” Jiang Yexun sneered in disgust, his disdain clear as he tied the woman up.
They had to be careful, as they didn’t want Hua Shoucheng to go to the hospital for a checkup and cause a scene when he realized something was wrong. They couldn’t afford to use too much of the drug. The doctor had said that two bottles were sufficient, so they proceeded to the police station.
At the police station, Xie Yongbing still tried to make excuses. But when the photos came out—clear images of him conspiring with the woman, giving Hua Shoucheng the drug, and sending him to the hospital—he had no more words left.
He was scared out of his wits and kept begging for mercy. However, the police weren’t going to let such a serious crime slide. Everyone involved in harming Hua Shoucheng was arrested and faced the possibility of execution.
Jiang Yexun thanked the friends from the black market who had helped, and gave them fifty each for their trouble, before heading to the hospital.
By the time they arrived, Hua Shoucheng was fully awake, the IV drip almost finished. He sat with his head lowered, looking dejected.
“Brother-in-law,” Jiang Yexun called softly.
Hua Shoucheng hurriedly looked up, his face a mixture of gratitude and embarrassment.
“Uh… thank you for today. But let’s not tell your sister. She’s about to give birth and can’t handle any stress,” he said quietly.
“Yeah,” Jiang Yexun nodded, agreeing without hesitation. He didn’t want his sister’s emotions to be stirred at such a delicate time.
Though Jiang Yexun understood, seeing his uncle so downcast still made his blood boil.
“Brother-in-law, although others schemed against you, you knew you were in the middle of a competitive struggle. You should have been more careful. That was the key to them succeeding,” Jiang Yexun said, his tone cold.
Hua Shoucheng didn’t try to make excuses. He nodded seriously.
“I neglected it this time.”
Usually, he kept his teacup on his desk. He never thought that Xie Yongbing would seize the opportunity while he was in the bathroom and, under the watch of four other people, slip something into his tea. Perhaps someone else helped cover up the act, but now he had no time to waste. He would investigate when he returned to the factory.
“Let’s go, your sister will worry if we’re late,” Jiang Yexun urged, glancing at the time.
The police were supposed to come for a detailed investigation today, but Jiang Yexun had informed them of his sister’s pregnancy. The police understood the situation and decided to delay the investigation for a bit.
When they returned home, Jiang Xinyue immediately waddled over, cradling her belly. The worried look on her face froze as soon as she saw her husband and brother walking in together.
“You two came back together? Is something wrong?” she asked with concern.
“I suddenly wanted to eat some braised pig’s feet, so I went to the state-owned restaurant. Luckily, I ran into Brother-in-law buying the grouse and mushroom soup,” Jiang Yexun explained, holding up the food containers.
Hua Shoucheng smiled and added, “I had told the people at the restaurant to save the grouse soup for me if they got it in, it’s much more nutritious than pheasant. I just happened to be in the area and bought it.”
Jiang Xinyue knew about the nutritional benefits of grouse soup and didn’t think twice.
As Hua Shoucheng supported her to the living room, Jiang Yexun gave Su Xiaoxiao a comforting glance.
Although Su Xiaoxiao was curious about what had really happened, she didn’t want Jiang Xinyue to catch on to their whispered conversation, so she suppressed her questions for now.
That night, after they had settled in their room, Jiang Yexun finally shared everything he had learned over the past few days.
“Xiaoxiao, I can’t thank you enough. If it weren’t for you, my brother-in-law would have been finished this time,” he said, holding her tightly, his voice filled with gratitude and a bit of lingering fear.
If it weren’t for Xiaoxiao, they would never have been able to stay in the city this long. And their family would still be in turmoil.
With Jiang Xinyue’s temperament, she wouldn’t have personally asked him to help with Hua Shoucheng’s crisis if things hadn’t taken a turn for the worse.
“I didn’t do much, it was mostly you handling everything. But the important thing is that Aunt and brother-in-law are safe,” Su Xiaoxiao said as she wrapped her arms around his strong waist and buried her face in his chest.
The regrets from her past life were almost all resolved, and now only one more remained. Once it was resolved, they could live happily ever after.
Though Hua Shoucheng’s crisis was over, Su Xiaoxiao and the others stayed in the city for a few more days.
They waited until the people who had colluded with Xie Yongbing were arrested and sentenced. Only then did they receive the final list for the accounting department and head back to the Hong Feng Production Team.
They rode in the same ox cart with Old Wang, the team driver. Jiang Yexun had called two days in advance to ask him to come and pick them up.
“Grandpa Wang, I brought you some tobacco leaves from Beijing and Shanghai. Try them out,” Jiang Yexun handed him two bags with a smile.
Old Wang didn’t refuse, grinning as he took them.
“Thank you, you’re so kind to think of me while you’re away. By the way, how did the marriage proposal go with Comrade Su’s family? Did they agree?” he asked.
“It went well, my in-laws are very easy-going. They just want the kids to live a good life,” Aunt Guo said happily.
When they had gone to Shanghai, she had been so nervous. She was afraid that because they came from the countryside and had her background, the family would refuse to accept them. Fortunately, they were very open-minded, or else her son might have gone crazy.
“That’s great! That’s great!” Old Wang nodded repeatedly.
“By the way, has the village started planting yet?” Aunt Guo asked curiously.
Usually, they start planting one or two weeks earlier, but this year the weather had been unpredictable, so she wasn’t sure about the timing.
“Not yet. The fields are still frozen, but they should be ready to plant in about a week. Everyone is already preparing the seeds. You’re just in time to rest for a couple of days before the busy season starts,” Old Wang replied.
Jiang Yexun didn’t say anything about not planning to plant this time. Instead, he frowned slightly and asked, “What about the old Jiang family? Have there been any issues these past few months?”